Daim (right) shakes hands with Abang Johari during their meeting. Photo courtesy of CMO
KUCHING: Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg received a courtesy call today from Council of Eminent Persons chairman Tun Daim Zainuddin, which can only be expected to spark a flurry of speculation.
The visit came in the wake of a meeting between Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Opposition leaders, including from Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) on Tuesday, where they had allegedly given their support to him to serve a full term as prime minister.
Photos of Daim calling on Abang Johari were released by an officer of the chief minister in a WhatsApp group for the media along with a caption that read: “During the half-hour meeting they discussed various matters of interest on national and state issues, economic development in particular.”
The meeting will certainly set tongues wagging as Daim, who is a former finance minister, is seen as Dr Mahathir’s right hand man and has been entrusted to tackle some of the major issues facing the country, such as the renegotiation of the East Coast Rail Line with China.
The visit also comes after Abang Johari openly urged GPS leaders to prepare for war in the state polls due in 2021 since the Federal coalition leaders led by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had thrown down the gauntlet during a dinner here on Sunday.
Whether Tun Daim’s visit is in connection with Dr Mahathir’s meeting on Tuesday, the next state election or just economic development, the rumour mill will have plenty to grind out.